Església

In 2017, shortly after the #MeToo Movement began denouncing violence against women in the secular world, the feminist movement became a prophetic voice also within the Church. Several ecclesiastical initiatives have been responding to the wound and the suffering produced by structural discrimination against women. By March 2020 there were already public demonstrations in the streets in support of the dignity and equality of women in the Church. Without pastoral intelligence, it is impossible to grasp the regenerative potential of women in the Church.

Why has it been so difficult for the Catholic church to reach out to LGBTQ people?  Why does the church lag so far behind secular organizations, and even other churches, who have made this community feel more welcome?  And why is the church so slow to try to help and protect a group of people who are often at risk of harassment, beatings and violence? Why is it so hard for Catholics to see LGBTQ people as beloved children of God?

The issue of women and the notion of the feminine has again come to the fore, both in the secular world as well as in the ecclesial sphere. Could this be why women are taking on leading roles in a turbulent, violent and changing world? Could this be why Pope Francis has brought up the issue time and time again? Whatever the reason, at this point in time, when the world as a whole finds itself immersed in violence, and facing so many economic, political and social problems, there is a widespread sense that women can play an important role in the process of change.

Given that the worldwide movement of migrants and refugees is a “sign of the times,” the situations that give rise to this reality cannot remain on the margins of theological reflection. Responding to this need is the theology of migrations, a new discipline grounded in biblical tradition and the magisterium. The author of the present booklet examines this pressing concern in depth, highlighting the five most important issues for our day and age: identity, dignity, justice, hospitality, and integration.

We cannot understand modern-day Europe without understanding the role played by Luther in the Reformation of the 16th century. That event went far beyond the religious realm and revealed the existence of two cultures, two models of social relations, two manners of understanding political power, and even two economic systems. Many of the topics debated during the Reformation and the early Renaissance period are still being debated in our contemporary European society, which is as perplexed and perplexing today as it was in those days.